PTSD Patrol Putting Hope in Your Engine

PTSD Patrol Fuels Hope
Kathie Costos
February 25, 2018

We need to talk! How many times have you heard those words and thought, oh crap, bad news coming? This time, it is good news!

Starting today, PTSD Patrol is going to be changing the conversation from suicide to healing. We need to face the fact that we will never know how many took their own lives but we do know why they did it. They lost hope that the next day would be any better for them.

We're going to be changing that conversation and start giving them reasons to hope for a much better life even with PTSD.

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Travis Mills focusing on inspirational message at CPAC

Travis Mills Speaks At CPAC In Washington
WABI 5 News
David Abe
February 25, 2018

WASHINGTON, D.C. (WABI) - "This is all about inspiring people to do greater things, and to never give up on themselves, and to never quit."

Staff Sargent Mills lost parts of all four limbs after an improvised explosive device went off near him during his third tour in Afghanistan.

After a long recovery, Mills now uses his foundation to bring fellow injured veterans and their families to a retreat in Maine, to experience moments they may have thought were no longer possible.

"Some really monumental moments have happened with some fathers and daughters or some fathers and sons that went kayaking for the first time, or found out they could, you know, go out there and go tubing with their loved ones."

Saturday, Mills spoke on stage at the Conservative Political Action Conference.

"I think the biggest problem facing our veterans today, when they get out of the military, is communication breakdown."

His panel, not political, but focused on delivering a message of how people can help veterans transition back into civilian life.
read more here

VA system hacked, some Texas veterans did not get deposits

Local vet gets answers about missing money
Seguin Gazette
Kati Waxler
February 25, 2018

Houston Area VA has also urged all veterans who suspect that they have been the victim of fraud to call the VA at 1-800-827-1000 or reach the VA OIG at 1-800-488-8244 or via email at vaoighotline@va.gov.

A veteran whose monthly disability checks were rerouted for two months without his knowledge has finally received answers, as well as his money.

“I found out that (the VA) system was hacked,” Santa Clara resident Phil Sierer said. “So somebody went in, removed my bank information and had my benefits routed to a virtual bank.”

Recently, the Seguin Gazette ran an article highlighting the issues that local veterans have had with their disability benefits. It was reported that several disabled veterans were unable to receive their benefits via direct deposit. Upon notifying Veterans Affairs, some residents were still left without answers.

Gary Elley, the public information officer for Disabled American Veterans (DAV), Chapter 61, said that “a number of veterans did not receive their VA disability compensation checks,” due to the theft.

Elley issued a press release, urging veterans to check their accounts and monitor where deposits were being sent.

When the Feb. 8 article was published, Sierer had no answers as to when he would get his missing benefits. At the time, there also was no response from the VA on the issue.
read more here

UK Troops with PTSD get phone linkup to help

New phone helpline for troops with mental health problems is launched

The Telegraph
February 25, 2018

"I will be working personally with the service chiefs to make sure there isn't a single person in the Armed Forces who doesn't know where to turn in times of trouble."

A helpline to give troops suffering from mental health problems round-the-clock support is being launched.

Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson has announced an extra £20 million in funding to pay for the hotline and other new support services over the next decade.

It follows calls by campaigners, including Lord Dannatt, former head of the British Army, for more help for struggling soldiers.

Mr Williamson said it was "simply unacceptable" that troops should suffer in silence.

"It is our duty to ensure we do all we can for our world-class personnel," he told the Mail on Sunday.

The helpline will be funded by the Ministry of Defence and run with the charity Combat Stress.

Lord Dannatt said the new helpline, which opens at midday on Sunday, was a "massive improvement" in support for troops.

The Military Mental Health Helpline can be called on 0800 323 4444.
read more here

Gulf War Veteran fined for having flashback while parking?

Navy veteran with PTSD is fined £100 for 'overstaying' in a parking space while recovering from a flashback - before car park firm reject his appeal and threaten to sue him
Daily Mail
Rory Tingle
February 25, 2018

Mr Clamp received a penalty charge notice from Euro Car Parks for overstaying in a 20-minute maximum stay space. His is pictured embracing his son, David, on the deck of HMS Hecla after returning from the Gulf War in September 1991

EXCLUSIVE: Tim Clamp, 60, had a PTSD flashback at petrol station near Gatwick
He explained incident to shop assistant before driving off to pick up a taxi client
Five days later Euro Car Parks demanded £100 for overstaying 20-minute limit
Firm rejected Gulf War veteran's appeal even after hearing evidence of condition
Subsequently increased fine to £160 and threatened to take Mr Clamp to court
Local MP Nick Herbert slammed the parking company for its lack of 'empathy'

A Gulf War veteran with PTSD was fined for overstaying by 20 minutes in a parking space while recovering from a flashback before having his appeal rejected despite providing medical evidence for his condition.

Tim Clamp, 60, had parked his Ford taxi at Gatwick North Shell petrol station while waiting to pick up a customer when a minor argument with another motorist sparked a 'very distressing' mental episode that left him immobilised.

After he recovered, the Royal Navy veteran and Sussex Police crime investigator explained what had happened to a shop assistant before driving off and 'blanking' the incident from his mind.
read more here

Jesse Melanson wasn't the same after Iraq

Family of Richmond man say PTSD, medication factors in shooting death
Central Maine
Keith Edwards
February 24, 2018

Jesse James Melanson, 33, suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder stemming from his four tours of duty with the Army in Iraq and had stopped taking medication, according to a brother, a sister and his ex-wife.

A Richmond man who shot and killed himself earlier this month as he was about to be arrested at his home over allegations of stolen property suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder stemming from his four tours of duty with the Army in Iraq, where he witnessed his best friend since kindergarten get killed in a mortar attack, according to the man’s family.

The brother, the sister and the ex-wife of the late Jesse Melanson said he was a great father to his two children, that he was hardworking and generous, but also that he wasn’t the same person when he came home from Iraq.

Lisa Melanson said when she talked to her brother last month, he said the medication he took to try to control his PTSD was too strong and was making him sick, so he had stopped taking it. She said she urged him to go to VA Maine Healthcare System-Togus to adjust his medication. He told her he would.
read more here

Endless speeches from Congress but never apologies?

What excuse will Congress have this time?
Combat PTSD Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
February 24, 2018

If you've been reading Combat PTSD Wounded Times, then you know what politicians promise ends up being BS for votes. In a couple of months, every member of the House, will be back in their hometowns loaded with speeches they think we're going to want to hear.

The only thing veterans need to hear, won't be said. They need to have an apology from every single one of them. Why? Take a look at what has happened to our troops and veterans.

The next time you go to hear one of their speeches, have a few words for them to listen to. 

Exactly when do members of Congress answer for any of this? How many more years will we just accept more of the same "efforts" leaving worse results? The following are the facts and they need to be asked why they have done nothing that worked but kept on doing it!

Back in 2010, The Statesman had this report

Suicide among veterans receiving less attention than active-duty deaths

"The numbers have been an issue at the VA since 2008, when a CBS News investigation revealed an “alarming” rate of suicide among veterans and a failure by the VA to gather the nationwide data needed to track the deaths. Six months later, the U.S. House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs blasted the agency for “denying” and “underplaying” suicides after emails surfaced that showed VA officials sought to keep the numbers of suicides and suicide attempts — the latter totaling 950 per month among VA patients — from public view."

And stuff was done,

In August, President Barack Obama issued an executive order with a list of suicide prevention and mental health requirements for the VA — some of which the agency had already begun. Obama ordered the VA to fill staff vacancies, reduce wait times and launch a national campaign to educate veterans about mental health services.Kemp said the VA has devoted substantial resources to preventing suicides in recent years, adding a national crisis hotline and hundreds of additional mental health professionals as it pushes its suicide prevention budget from $73 million this year to an estimated $83 million in 2013. 

And kept getting done, and redone, followed by more money, and more coffins filled. Now the news coverage is the other way around. It seems no one is tracking the number of members of the military still committing suicide a decade after they pushed "prevention" and "resilience training" to every member of the military. 

But as we've seen with everything else, they never seem to be able to do much of anything other than talk about how important something is to them.

Wouldn't it be great if they actually meant it! 

Sailor in critical condition after hit from helicopter blade

UPDATE 2/25/2018

Marines Identify Flight Surgeon Who Died After Struck by Rotor Blade

Officials have identified a Navy officer who succumbed to his injuries after being struck by a spinning helicopter blade Feb. 21.

Navy Lt. James E. Mazzuchelli, 32, died Saturday after he was critically injured by the tail rotor of a UH-1Y Venom, officials with 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing said in a statement. read the rest here

UPDATE
Camp Pendleton Sailor Dies From Rotor Injury

Paramedics took the victim to Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla, where the sailor was pronounced dead at about 5:45 a.m. Saturday -- a little more than two days after the incident.

Camp Pendleton Sailor in Critical Condition After Being Struck by Spinning Helicopter Blade
KTLA 5 News
BY ERIKA MARTIN
FEBRUARY 23, 2018

A U.S. Marine Corps sailor stationed at Camp Pendleton remained in critical condition two days after being hospitalized with injuries sustained from a military helicopter, base officials said Friday.

A UH-1Y Venom helicopter, the type of aircraft involved in the critical injury of a sailor at Marine Corps Air Station Camp Pendleton, is seen in an image from Aug. 28, 2008, released by the U.S. Marine Corps.

The sailor was struck by the tail rotor blade while on deck around 6:10 p.m. Wednesday, according to a news release from the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, the aviation unit to which the troop is assigned.

The sailor was taken to a hospital near the base, where he remained on Friday, officials said.

The military has not publicly identified the injured service member.
read more here

Someone paying attention to majority of veterans with PTSD?

There is a great article from Northwestern University about older veterans with PTSD. You know, the ones we talk about all the time but not enough want to help. The only thing that is wrong with this article is this part.

"Dr. Wirick said many of her clients believed that they couldn’t talk about their experiences because of the hostility surrounding the conflict. They were forced to repress those feelings because they felt like the enemy, which created more complex psychological reactions to their time in combat. Stigma, she noted, was also common among men of the Vietnam generation who were told to “man up” about depression or anxiety. Those repressed feelings later surfaced when they attempted to reintegrate into the lives they led before the war."

The way their parents dealt with PTSD after WWI, WWII and Korea, had more to do with Vietnam veterans silent suffering than anything else. After all, that is the way they "got over it" and got on with their lives. The truth is, they just got too busy to notice what they brought back with them.

My husband's Dad and Uncles were WWII veterans. My father-in-law said he needed to "just get over it." My Dad was a Korean War veteran. He noticed what was called "shell shock" the night they met and then told him to get help. It was the night that set me on this path over 35 years ago.

Read the rest of the article and then maybe you'll understand that some of the Vietnam veterans did a hell of a lot more than settle for what had been acceptable. They fought back!

40 Years Later: Addressing PTSD Among Older Combat Veterans
Northwestern University
by Counseling Staff
February 22, 2018

In 1969, after serving 10 months in Vietnam, Tony Viana brought home shrapnel still lodged in his body. He also brought home an altered state of mind.

“I had never been hypertensive or jittery, but after I got out, I’d say to my girlfriend at the time that I feel apprehensive,” Viana said, “like something ominous [was] about to happen.”

Noises startled him. He had ringing in his ears. But aside from acknowledging the evidence of his physical injuries, doctors at the Veterans Administration (VA), which later became the Department of Veterans Affairs, told him there was nothing wrong with him. And while his private doctor prescribed medication to ease his nerves, Viana would wait nearly 40 years before returning to the VA to be diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

Although symptoms of PTSD usually begin occurring within the first months of experiencing a traumatic incident, it can be years before someone has an accurate diagnosis. For Vietnam veterans who served before the military understood and was prepared to assist with the effects of the condition, being diagnosed with PTSD later in life presents distinct challenges for older veterans and the counselors who serve them.
read more here

Brig. Gen. Donald Bolduc not suffering PTSD in silence

Still think you have to suffer in silence? Well, it looks like another General has come forward to speak about PTSD. 

"However, there is a price to pay when you are “Captain America.” For Gen. Bolduc the matter of PTSD is a personal one. One of his most courageous acts was to publicly acknowledge he struggles every day with PTSD"

How many Medal of Honor recipients have to talk about their own battles with PTSD, before you understand there is nothing to be ashamed of? How many Generals have to talk about their battles, after a lifetime of battles in uniform, before you understand what courage looks like?

Ever wonder they they come forward and talk openly about something they never have to say a word about? Do they need publicity? Do they want to play "victim" and get people to feel sorry for them? Hell no! THEY DO IT TO SAVE THE LIVES OF THOSE THEY WOULD HAVE DIED FOR!

If you still haven't gotten the message yet, the keep reading about "Captain America" Brig. Gen. Donald Bolduc.

‘Everyone’s General’ returns home with a mission
Fosters.com
Jeff Childester
February 23, 2018

One the truest statements you can make about a hero is that they would be the last person to describe themselves as such. Aside from a hero’s devotion to service above self, a hero’s second most endearing quality is their humility. However, as a society it is important for us to appreciate those people we know to be heroes.

One such person is New Hampshire’s own Brig. Gen. Donald Bolduc. After 32 years of service to our country, a native son has returned home.

Out of his uniform, and knowing nothing about his impressive military pedigree, some might suggest Gen. Bolduc was unimposing. But that is merely another distinguishing feature of a hero, their uncanny capacity to appear normal, to look like the “common man.” That is because when you get down to it, most heroes look nothing like the Hollywood actors that portray them on film. They are in every essence, everyday people, which is reinforced in the case of Gen. Bolduc when you consider many who served with him dubbed him “Everyone’s General.” I have no doubt that if you were to ask Gen. Bolduc the one thing he is most proud of (regarding his military services), being called “Everyone’s General” would be near the top of that list.

Gen. Bolduc is not that much different from many of us, except for one conspicuous attribute, his devotion to duty. He is the embodiment of all those that have faithfully served this country, and still do so today. Our military heroes live beyond the spotlight, humble in the knowledge that they sacrificed much in the service of our nation. For as proud as Gen. Bolduc must be when he is referred to “Everyone’s General,” he also must carry the weight of his other nickname, “Captain America.”
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